Former senator Shehu Sani has challenged Nigerian youths to become more politically involved and support candidates from their own generation rather than continuously backing older political figures.
Sani made the statement in a post shared on X on Sunday, where he expressed concern over what he described as the tendency of young Nigerians to financially support established political elites instead of encouraging younger aspirants to contest elections.
According to the former lawmaker, many youths actively raise funds to purchase nomination forms for politicians they often accuse of failing their generation, while neglecting opportunities to build political movements around younger candidates.
“Why are the youths not contributing money to buy forms for the members of their generation to contest elections, but prefer to buy forms for the political elites ‘that failed their generation’,” he wrote.
Sani also urged young Nigerians to convert their strong online presence and social media activism into direct political participation capable of influencing leadership and governance in the country.
“Why not transform their Social Media energy to Political Energy,” he added.
The former senator further referenced the Not Too Young To Run Act, a law designed to encourage greater participation of young people in politics by reducing age restrictions for elective offices.
He questioned why more young Nigerians were not taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the legislation to contest elections and pursue leadership positions.
“Why are they not taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN ACT?” Sani asked.
The law, which was signed to encourage youth inclusion in governance, has frequently been cited as a major milestone for political participation among younger Nigerians.
